


Mr Photographer (I think I'm ready for my close up)

by scalphunter



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Amateur Photography, Fluff and Angst, Gift Fic, M/M, Post - Captain America Winter Soldier, Romance, Starbucks, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-10
Updated: 2014-04-10
Packaged: 2018-01-18 19:10:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1439584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scalphunter/pseuds/scalphunter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve stares at the photo on his phone and his mouth goes dry because Bucky is... beautiful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mr Photographer (I think I'm ready for my close up)

**Author's Note:**

> For Maggie who had a wobble and this is pick me up centered around her (and my) favourite boy in the world.
> 
> Prompt(s): ‘my inspiration’

 

_Inspiration: the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative._

 

He taps the icon on his phone and it opens an application called 'Instagram' which, apparently, Bucky has, and a photo uploads onto the enhanced (Stark Tech. Yup.) screen and he stops. It isn't what he was expecting by any means.

Bucky went to a function, with Tony (he was cajoled and bribed and then more or less ordered to attend) and he stomped about Steve's place for an hour fiddling with his skinny black tie and...

...Steve stares at the photo on his phone and his mouth goes dry because Bucky is... beautiful.

 

His tie is still crooked, his shirt collar shows his fidgeting, and his hair looks like he's run his hands through it over ten times where it's tufty and curly and haphazard in a way Steve's sure isn't intentional, which being exposed to Tony and other hoighty-toighty people for that length of time, is not surprising. He isn't smiling - there's a hint of one, at the curve of his jaw, the pull at the corner of his lips, and it's not quite reaching his eyes - but he's pulling off what Tony would call 'brooding' very well. Of course, Steve new that Bucky was attractive, back then especially, Bucky always got the girls with his charm and smile. Seeing as Tony is not in the photo with him, the cameraman must have caught him on his lonesome. There's a caption at the bottom and Steve grins, which morphs into a helpless laugh that has him clutching his stomach.

 

_Aliorum Magazine: Stark's New TOY-BOY. Another model perhaps? We don't know he doesn't talk much._

Below that is Bucky's own addition.

_At the Excelsior LNK Gala. Annoying cameraman followed me about._

 

Steve scrolls up to the photo again and, now that he can see it again, Bucky looks tired. There's tension around his eyes and the shine of his irises are piercing. He swipes across the screen and goes still. Unlike the other, this next photo of Bucky was taken earlier in the evening at the event, and he's standing with Tony. They're in each other's space and smiling and laughing at something only known to them. Steve's heart squeezes at that, at how Bucky is relaxed and sociable, and is _himself._ What he used to be. Not what the Winter Soldier left behind - the spark that Steve loved and which infuriated him no end. He sweeps down, reading the ever posting comments on the picture.

_Dayum. He's lickable. Stark had taste. Suprisingly._

_Such a pretty face.  
_

Etc. etc.

Steve grits his teeth and closes the application, locking his phone and then groaning as 'heavy metal' music blares from it, indicating that Bucky is calling him.

So he does what he always has done and always will. He answers.

 

 

 

 

 

It's three days later, just as he's on the jet back from a mission in the outskirts of Afghanistan, when Steve's phone _pings_ at him and he taps at the link to open up another new photograph of Bucky, this time reblogged from another account via Bucky's. He shakes his head and expands the photo regardless, slumping in the seat and rubbing at his hair; exhausted.

The traitorous part of his brain supplies him with the information that since when does Bucky own striped cardigans? Like that is the most important thing. In a way it is and Steve frowns at it.

There's a message underneath the picture, and it reads:

_Your boy waited up. Didn't sleep - Sam._

Steve picks out the fact that Bucky's hair looks as if it still has yesterday's, or something, mousse in it and he doesn't give a damn and his drooped eyes, and five o'clock shadow (that Steve is privately still jealous of) and that it all amounts to one thing: Bucky waited up for him to get back home. Bucky still worries for him after all this time. He's soft, approachable. Rumpled.

The plane lands and when an agent in a black SUV asks him where to go, seeing as his full debrief isn't until tomorrow, he gives Bucky's S.H.I.E.L.D address.

 

 

 

 

Steve chuckles, looks along the row of photos on the wall of the communal kitchen floor, and chuckles some more. He drinks a gulp of his orange juice in consideration.

 _'Some snipers_ _wear geek glasses'_ the heading says, above the stills of Bucky and Clint. 

'Oh damn. I'm going to kill Stark. Slowly and painfully' Bucky's voice sounds, low and not amused, and Steve turns, but Bucky's glaring at the photos, and he's not able to contain his laughter any longer and thanking any higher power (Thor, probably) that he didn't take another sip of his drink. 'Laugh all you want, pal' he grouses, which makes Steve's laughter double.

'You look.... Dorky' he says and Bucky kicks ineffectually at him, growls and tries again, so Steve ducks out of the way. 'They suit you' Steve confesses, peeking back at the picture when Bucky's head is tilted, puppy-like, and as if whoever is out of view is not making any kind of sense and Bucky's expression reads _'how are you real?'_. They suit him a lot. Really. Bucky's eyes are so green and Sam's words float back at him _'You like smart, lanky brunettes'._

Huh.

'Barton looks stupider so...' Bucky shrugs and throws a smirk at Steve.

'Do I want to know?' Steve asks, nudging Bucky's arm.

'Nope' replies Bucky, succinctly and Steve opens his mouth, closes it and -

'Hey, Barnes!' Tony's greeting is cheerful, overly so, and Steve reaches out to grab Bucky but the man swivels slowly, batting him off.

'Tony' he says. Steve goes wide eyed because that tone is quite intimidating.

'Yes, my dear?' and has no effect on Tony, whatsoever.

'Run' is all Bucky says, and like Natasha, conveys the entirety of what will happen if he doesn't.

'As if I'm going to do that. This is my tower. You run' and Steve mentally smacks his hand to his face.

Three. Two. One.

If he had to explain to an outside party as to what went on, and Natasha just rolled her eyes at the three of them and said nothing, Steve would calmly tell whoever that... His two best friends are as smart as they are dumb and he was extremely grateful for Tony's decent reflexes.

 

 

 

 

 

Steve and Bucky are having dinner together at a small, basically empty diner hidden away in Chicago, early one evening. Bucky is sitting across from him, his denim jacket slung over the back of the off-colour seating, and Bucky's playing with the clear straw dipped in his Coke.

He's looking better. Healthier, happier, so much so he almost glows.

Not for the first time in their friendship does Steve think how handsome Bucky is.

'Bucky. Bucky'

'What?'

Steve captures a snapshot of him, getting a light curious, tentative, smile and open clear eyes. Steve grins smugly, so Bucky reaches across and steals one of his fries in revenge.

'Quit it, you've got your own'

'They taste better' Bucky munches on the fry, without a care. Steve scowls at him, saves the photo and puts down his phone.  'So...'

'What are you doing?' he asks, Bucky's eyes flitting from the circles he's making with his straw and up to Steve.

'Nothin''

'Bucky'

'Stevie'

And Steve's fingers clench, his whole body tenses, and Bucky knows it's weird too because he's dropped his straw.

'You haven't called me that... not since...' and _no, no, he can't do this._ He's breathing faster than normal, he's hyperventilating, he's having what is very close to a panic attack.

'Hey, Steve, buddy' and if he shuts his eyes he can see a younger Bucky in the pre-war memory, when Bucky laid a hand at the back of his neck and whispered for him to just to _breathe_.

Bucky hitches his right ankle around Steve's left, dragging the booted foot across the floor, and the rush leaves Steve all in one go like it's been pulled roughly out of him. It should be clunky, awkward - sneaker and boot - and really not good at all but they slot together. In a peripheral kind of way Steve knew (hoped) they would after...

... that's not what this is.

This isn't Bucky apologising.

'Thanks' he pants, anyway, blinks and catches their reflections in the partly tinted glass at the bottom of the window and from the unguarded look he receives, Bucky understands.

Once he looks away and pays attention to his burger Steve can breathe.

 

Afterwards, Bucky clambers over the seat, and does up his laces of his dirty white converse when Steve claps a hand on the sole.

'Jesus Christ' Bucky mumbles, scowling heavily, the summer even light splatters through the window behind him, and he's so rugged, and could have stepped out of a film. Bucky spies Steve's raised phone and gazes straight at the camera. 'I don't get it' Bucky says.

'You don't have to'

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bucky crowds Steve’s space, finger tips trailing down the super-soft white t-shirt Steve’s wearing, dropping away as they meet the waistband of his black cotton sleep pants.

‘Bucky’ there’s a torn edge to his voice and Bucky frowns.

‘Please’ Bucky whispers it, not looking Steve in the eyes. His body is languid, sticky with it, and Steve's not sure he knows what he’s asking for but he wants it.

‘Buck…’ Steve breathes, still protesting, not touching him.

‘Please’ he mutters, licking his lips. Steve can faintly taste the whiskey in the air wafting off of him.

He leans up to bite at the strong angle of Steve’s jaw, and it’s like a kitten bite Steve thinks, mildly hysterically, and Steve turns into it, twists –

-and kisses him.

Bucky’s mouth parts, seemingly on instinct and Steve hears himself make this easy sound, blood zinging in his body. He presses forward.

 

 

Steve's up and about before Bucky and he's not fretting. He isn't.

He turns around, away from the carafe as Bucky bumps into the doorframe, clueless, confused and not at all awake. He isn't entirely sure when he began habouring a need to a have his phone on him all the time, yet he takes Bucky's photo if for nothing but blackmail.

Bucky hears the faux camera-shutter sound, Steve curses, and smiles brokenly.

What he doesn't expect, is for Bucky to shake his head five times, walk over to where Steve finds himself cornered against the counter, and nuzzle against him. Bucky mouths at his collarbone with wandering hands.

 

 

 

 

 

The photos don't stop there, however there are a fair few Steve's not willing to share with anybody for various reasons.

 

But...

('The hell are you doing, I'm reading, get lost' Bucky complains, pushing at Steve's phone.)

 

 

And finally...

('What's a _selfie_?')

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading.
> 
> Comments/kudos are welcome :)
> 
> P.S: I know about Bucky's arm but give me some leeway here. It's still a synthetic but it's Stark-made and as realistic as it can be.


End file.
